Device for removing tars from tobacco smoke and thermostatically controlling the blending of air therewith



8. T. WALL April 29, 1969 DEVICE FOR REMOVING TARS FROM TOBACCO SMOKE AND THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLING THE BLENDING OF AIR THEREWITH Filed June 17, 1966 m w MN mm Q m United States Patent US. Cl. 131-198 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for removing precipitatable tars from tobacco smoke produced in the bowl of a pipe or in a roll of tobacco such as a cigar or cigarette which comprises an elongated holder having a mouth piece at one end and means at the other end to hold the tobacco to be burned, a passageway through the holder for smoke to pass from the tobacco holding means through the mouthpiece, means adjacent to the tobacco holding means for thermostatically controlling the blending of atmospheric air with the smoke when the smoke reaching the thermostatic means reaches a predetermined temperature level to cause precipitation of precipitatable tars in the smoke, and bafile means downstream from the air blending means providing a tortuous path for the smoke with sharp changes in direction to throw precipitated tars out of the gas stream into a series of tar reservoirs. The holder is separable to permit removal of the bafile means to scrape out the precipitated tars in the reservoirs and permit cleaning.

The present invention relates to a device for removing tars from tobacco smoke and for thermostatically controlling the blending of air with the smoke when the temperature thereof as it leaves the tobacco rises to a predetermined value.

It has been recognized that tobacco smoke, particularly from cigarettes, may contain carciogenic materials and many expedients to reduce the harmful elfects of the smoke by removing the constituents such as tars, which precipitate when the smoke cools, have been proposed. None of these has been fully satisfactory in use because they either did not provide proper separation of precipitated tars from the smoke that passed through, or they did not cool the smoke sufficiently to precipitate all of the tars that could be removed by proper cooling, or they were bulky and inconvenient to use in connection with a pipe or holder for cigarettes and cigars. The present invention provides a device that overcomes the difiiculties and deficiencies of prior devices. It will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, which shows the device of the invention as an embodiment for a roll of tobacco;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view partly in section of an embodiment as a pipe;

FIGS. 3, 4 and are sectional views on the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 55 of FIG. 1.

The device comprises a holder having a mouthpiece 11 and means 12 for holding the tobacco to be burned. Means 12 may be adapted to hold a roll of tobacco 14, such as a cigar or cigarette, by use of an end piece 16 dimensioned to engage and frictionally hold the roll therein, as more fully described hereafter, or it may take the form of a bowl 18 of a pipe. In either event the holder has a passageway 20 through which the smoke from burning tobacco flows from the tobacco into the oral cavity of the smoker.

The passageway 20 includes a first chamber 22 in the end piece 16 and a similar chamber 22a in the stem piece ice 16a of the pipe. Pieces 16 and 16a are preferably circular in cross section. The outer end of piece 16 has a passage 15 of the right diameter to engage and grip the end of the roll of tobacco 14 so that it is frictionally held therein and which communicates with chamber 22 which has a somewhat larger diameter than passage 15 to provide a shoulder 24. A rabbet 25 is provided at the other end of chamber 22. Similarly the bowl 18 has a passage 15a of smaller diameter than chamber 22a communicating therewith to form a shoulder 24a and there is also a rabbet 25a at the other end of chamber 22a.

Each chamber 22 and 22a is provided with means 26 for thermostatically controlling the blending of air with smoke when the temperature of the smoke entering the chamber reaches a predetermined level. When a roll of tobacco is first lighted the smoke has a considerable path of travel through cool tobacco before it leaves the cigar or cigarette and the same is true of a filled pipe. As the tobacco burns, however, the path of travel shortens, the tobacco through which the smoke travels warms up and the smoke therefore leaves the tobacco at a much higher temperature. The smoke therefore carries with it not only the tars produced by the burning tobacco but also picks up tars that were deposited on the cool tobacco when the roll or pipe was first ignited. In the device of the present invention air is blended with the smoke that leaves the tobacco when it reaches a temperature high enough to carry precipitable tars, the means 26 being designed for this purpose. Means 26 comprises a disc 27 having an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of chamhers 22 and 22a so that when it is pushed into the chamher as far as it will go it engages shoulder 24 or 24a. A disc 28 having an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the rabbet 25 or 25a is adapted to fit therein and it is connected to disc 27 by a tube 30. A 1ongitudinal channel 32 is formed through discs 27 and 28 and the tube 30 and a transverse channel or air duct 34 is formed in the tube wall to establish communication between chamber 22 or 22a with the channel 34. A bimetallic strip 36 is secured at one end to means 26, e.g., by a rivet or spot weld 38 to disc 27 and the other end covers channel 34 at ambient conditions. When the bimetallic strip heats up, however, above a predetermined temperature the free end lifts and uncovers the channel 34. The strip 36 thus forms and functions as a temperature responsive valve. An air duct 40 is provided in the end piece 16, and a similar duct 40a in 16a, to establish communication between chambers 22 and 22a, respectively, and the atmosphere. Thus when channel 34 is opened by the temperature responsive valve 36 and smoke is sucked through channel 32 air will be drawn into channel 32 through channel 34 and duct 40 or 40a. This has the effect of cooling the smoke by blending air with it.

The holder 10 is preferably made in two sections with the line of division coming in the plane of face of disc 28 remote from disc 27 so that it comprises either the pipe bowl 18 and stem piece 16a or the end piece 16 as already described as one part and a body section 44 which can be used with either of the other sections mentioned. Body section 44 is traversed by passageway 20 which includes a second chamber 50 downstream from the first chamber 22 or 2211 described above. To hold the parts removably together the chamber 50 in the body section 44 is of uniform diameter ending at a shoulder 52 to house baflie means 54 which includes a disc 56 having a tight fit with the inner wall of chamber 50 and being either integral with disc 28 or secured thereto. To increase the friction fit disc 28 may be provided with an O-ring and disc 56 with an O-ring 92 as shown in FIG. 2 or they may be threaded together. Baflle means 54 also comprises a disc 58 and a connecting rod 60 of such length that disc 58 engages shoulder 52 when the two sections of the holder are properly joined. Channel 32 extends into connecting rod 60 far enough to communicate with a transverse channel 62 adjacent to disc 56. At the other end of the rod 60 another transverse channel 64 is provided which communicates with a longitudinal channel 66 extending through disc 58 and beyond as described later. Mounted on connecting rod 60 are a plurality of circular baffles 68 (three being shown) which have a notch 70 at one side, preferably slightly above the horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the holder, and a plurality of circular bafiles 72 (two being shown) alternating with bafiles 68 and having a notch 74 on the opposite side and in about the same level. The circular baffles 68 and 72 have outside diameters practically equal to the inside diameter of chamber 50, thus forming a series of individual compartments which communicate with each other through notches 70 and 74. The lower part of each individual compartment below notches 70 and 74 forms a tar reservoir and each bafiie serves as a scraper to remove precipitated tars when the bafile means 54 is pulled out of the holder as described hereinafter. Air passing through the baffle means 54 must therefore take a zig-zag course with sharp changes in direction to throw precipitated tars out of the gas stream and collect them in the tar reservoirs.

The advantage of this construction of battle means 54 will be apparent to one skilled in the art. The cooling effect of entrained air, if the smoke is hot enough to open the thermostatically controlled channel 34, or the low temperature of the gas stream at the start of the burning of the tobacco, will assure precipitation of tars which will be entrained until the entrained air enters the chamber 50. As these tars are thrown out of the air stream by the zigzag path, as mentioned above, they will fall into the tar reservoirs formed by the bafiles 68 and 70 which have large capacity because of the location of the notches 70 and 74. In many cases this provides all the capacity needed for satisfactory operation, in which case the passageway 20 communicates directly with the opening 66 in disc 58. If greater reservoir capacity for collected tars is desired, however, it is provided by a third chamber 80 in passageway 20 of somewhat smaller diameter than and downstream from the second chamber 50 to which it is adjacent. Chamber 80 ends in a shoulder 82 surrounding the small end of passageway 20 leading to the mouthpiece 11. A disc 84 having approximately the some diameter as channel 80 seats against shoulder 82 by means of a connecting tube 86 with the channel 66 extending through the tube and disc 84 to communicate directly with the small end of passageway 20. A slot 88 is provided in tube 80 to open communication between channel 66 and chamber 80 to let tars drop into the reservoir thus formed.

The holder lends itself to easy cleaning by pulling the two sections apart, taking out the thermostatic means, the bafile means and the disc 84 and tube 86, all of which is preferably made as a unit of suitable metal, and washing away the tars that are scraped out with the unit as well as those that adhere to the holder.

The holder may be made of any suitable material and it is contemplated that the two sections thereof may be made of different materials, e.g., the pipe bowl 18 and stem piece 16a may be made of wood such as is usually used for pipe bowls and the body section may be made of molded plastic. The choice of materials is not part of the present invention and may be made by anyone skilled in the smoking implement art.

Having thus described and illustrated the invention what is claimed is:

1, A device for removing tars from tobacco smoke and thermostatically controlling the blending of air therewith which comprises:

(a) an elongated holder having a mouthpiece at one end and means at the other end for holding tobacco to be burned to produce smoke;

(b) a passageway through said holder for smoke to pass from said tobacco holding means through said mouthpiece;

(1) said passageway including:

(a) a first chamber adjacent to said tobacco holding means provided with means including an air duct for communicating with the atmosphere and a temperature responsive value therein for thermostatically controlling the blending of atmospheric air with smoke to cool it when the temperature of the smoke entering said chamber reaches a predetermined value, said chamber having a wall at the downstream end thereof provided with an aperture for smoke to be drawn therethrough; and

(b) a second chamber adjacent to and downstream from said thermostatic air blending means to receive smoke at the upstream end thereof, drawn from said first chamber through said apertured wall, and being provided with bafile means forming a series of compartments communicating with each other along a tortuous path to separate precipitated tars from the smoke.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said tobacco holding means is the bowl of a pipe. 7

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said tobacco holding means is an end piece having a recess adapted to receive and frictionally hold an end of a roll of tobacco such as a cigar and cigarette.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said holder is made in two separable parts, one part comprising said tobacco holding means and the chamber for said thermostatic air blending means and the other part comprising said mouthpiece, and said chamber for said baffle means.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which said other part comprises also a third chamber adjacent to and downstream from said baffle chamber, said third chamber being provided with means to trap precipitated tars passing from said baffie chamber.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 in which said thermostatic control means, bafiie means and trap means comprises a unit which is removable from said holder when said parts thereof are separated.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6 in which said unit is made of metal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,233,288 2/1941 MOdine l3 l-l98 2,264,626 12/1941 DunwOodie l3l198 2,642,069 6/1953 Modine 131-498 2,869,883 1/1959 Dunbar.

FOREIGN PATENTS 521,385 5/1940 Great Britain. 120,320 5/1927 Switzerland.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R 1312l0 

